The many reasons why you need a hand juicer press for citrus fruit juice

Updated on February 21, 2011

Yellow lime juicer - a lime press juicer gadget

Hand press for limes

Citrus juice is invigorating and inspiring - when you can get it out of the fruit, that is!

Recipes these days can call from ingredients from all over the world. Gone are the days where those in Mexico could only make Mexican foods, those in Denmark could only make Danish foods, those in Thailand could only make Thai foods... now due to international export and import and the availability of foods that will grow in alternative climates than was once expected, foods including the citrus category can now be obtained year-round in markets and supermarkets, thus necessitating the need for a juicer.

It is possible to juice citrus without a juicer, of course, but it can be awkward and maybe even dangerous - who hasn't tried to juice a citrus fruit with a fork and accidentally slip with the fork into your hand - or almost? And it can be frustrating to try and squeeze the last drops of lemon, for instance, out of the fruit half when you just know that you'd get more out if you only could... enter the hand juicer.

A hand juicer for citrus is a non-expensive option for citrus juice that is freshly squeezed and ready to add to your cooking or drinks. There is no need to buy a bottle of citrus fruit ever again if you have a simple-to-use hand juicer that effectively gets the juice out of oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes. Bottles of concentrate have not only been pasteurised, thus killing the enzymes and vitamins that make citrus juice so good for you, they also often have added flavours, colours and preservatives. Think of that! How do you like your lime juice? Coloured with fake green colour? No... me neither! That's why a lime juicer will make it easy for you to have your own, wholesome fresh juice that is straight out of the fruit itself.

Lemon juice, for instance, can be added to many recipes. Casseroles, stews, mixer drinks, even sprinkled onto a chicken that is to be roasted or used in the fermentation of sourdough bread. Real lemon juice has so many applications that it would be impossible to list them all. Juicing the lemon fresh in your own home ensures that the fruit juice is not discoloured in any way and that the action of the volatile oils found in citrus (that give citrus its special zing) do not have time to evaporate or get damaged.

Grapefruit juice is another kind of citrus fruit whose juice is invaluable. Grapefruit has long been known to have weight loss benefits, and utilising the juice of this excellent fruit makes it easier to consume this fruit on a more regular basis. Because grapefruit is quite tart, you may find it more palatable when added to other citrus juices, for instance, the juice of oranges. With a hand juice it is easy to achieve this mix, in just the right blend that you enjoy. No need to eat grapefruits with a spoon and be tempted to add the empty calories of white sugar to it to make it less tart, when you can simply make a citrus juice blend that includes not only grapefruit but also oranges as well, and if your hand juicer is the masticating type, you will also be able to add such fruits and vegetables as bell peppers, carrots, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower... the health boost is yours to choose from, if you have a masticating hand juicer.

It's not recommended to those with wrist problems or joint pain to use a citrus reamer, so the kind of juicer known as a hand press is the best kind for people with these issues. A citrus reamer is a juicer that that requires you to press and turn the fruit half against the round, ridged cone. However, a citrus press will allow you to pull or push two levers together, and as everyone knows, levers take a lot of the work out of hard work, thus leaving you with plenty of energy to cook up your meal including citrus juice, or simply to kick back and relax with your cool drink on a hot sunny day and enjoy the scents of summer wafting in through your kitchen window! If that sounds corny, then go and sniff a lime or orange or grapefruit - there is something honestly invigorating about the scent of citrus - and maybe that's the biggest reason why you need a citrus hand juicer at hand in your kitchen!